✨ One of my faves! ✨

West of Loathing is an absolutely hilarious comedy RPG / adventure game that combines fantasy and the Wild West, allowing you to converse with goblins, punch cows, sling beans, wield magic, and go on all sorts of quests as you leave your little farm and head West.

Official Description:

Say howdy to West of Loathing — a single-player slapstick comedy adventure role-playing game set in the wild west of the Kingdom of Loathing universe. Traverse snake-infested gulches, punch skeletons wearing cowboy hats, grapple with demon cows, and investigate a wide variety of disgusting spittoons.

Talk your way out of trouble as a silver-tongued Snake Oiler, plumb the refried mysteries of the cosmos as a wise and subtle Beanslinger, or let your fists do the talking as a fierce Cow Puncher. Explore a vast open world and encounter a colorful cast of characters, some of whom are good, many of whom are bad, and a few of whom are ugly.

Features:

– a sprawling open world, chock full of danger, quests, puzzles, and mysteries
– lush hand-drawn black and white graphics
– full stick-figure customization
– thousands of jokes, gags, and goofs
– crunchy turn-based combat (but only if you want it)
– liberal use of the Oxford comma
– over 50 hats
– disreputable saloons
– several gulches
– a drunk horse

NOTE: characters are not literally colorful (the game is in black and white)

More Info:

You can get more info and buy the game here on Steam or here on the game’s website!

Long Review:

You guys. This game. So much yes! I absolutely love it! There’s literally not a single thing I dislike, so I’m just gonna list all the reasons why it’s great.

– It’s hilarious. It’s full of absurd stuff, western stereotypes and parodies, and so many jokes. Everything about it is funny, from the characters to the perks to the places to the quests. For just one example, I got a perk called “minesplaining” after I attempted to explain a bunch of mining equipment to my pardner but didn’t actually have any clue what I was talking about.

– The stupid walking is amazing. It’s so good that it gets its own bullet point. Make sure you keep checking out books on the book shelf in the very first room until you unlock it. You’ll thank me later.

– It’s a Weird West game! There are necromancers and reanimated skeletons and demon cows and magic spells and goblins. I love the combination of western and sci-fi/fantasy.

– The art is all stick figure drawings in black and white, but it really works here. The stick figures fit perfectly with the mood of the game and allow for a lot more silliness than good art would.

– The open world is a lot of fun. I had never played a game like this before. It’s great though, being able to wander around, explore different locations, complete side quests, equip yourself with items, buy/sell/trade items, learn new skills, and decide how to use your XP to make your character stronger/smarter/more powerful. There are so many choices to make.

– This is a laidback, stress-free kind of game. I think this would be fun for experienced gamers because of how funny and quirky it is, but it’s also great for newbie gamers and gamers like me who get stressed out easily. You choose from options, you solve puzzles, that sort of thing. And the combat is turn-based, so there’s no quick thinking or coordination required, just deciding which weapon/spell/item to use on your turn. You also can’t die (at least I don’t think you can); you just lose all your buffs and have to start a new day if you lose too many fights and pass out.

– It takes a good amount of time to get through and has moderate replay value. I say moderate because there are some differences—you can do things differently to get different accomplishments and a slightly different ending, you can choose a different traveling companion/horse/class—but the tasks and puzzles throughout the game are still the same. That being said, my first playthrough (in which I accomplished the main goal and as many side quests as I could) took me 19 hours, and as of the time of this review, I’m at 32 hours total and still enjoying it.

– The only thing I can say that might be negative for some people is that there’s no manual save function. The game automatically saves, so any decisions you make are permanent unless you start a new game.

To be honest, at the time of writing this review, I’ve been going through a rough patch, and it’s been hard for me to concentrate on anything. But every time I’ve loaded up this game, hours would pass that I was laughing and smiling and not thinking about my problems.

Do yourself a favor and get this game. It’s a blast, and I whole-heartedly recommend it!

Short Review:

– Absolutely hilarious
– Seriously, you will laugh a lot
– Fun combo of western and sci-fi/fantasy
– Art is stick figures, but trust me, it’s perfect for the game
– Open world RPG
– Turn-based combat
– Stress-free kinda game
– Overall just a blast to play!

Accessibility:

(May not include everything)
– Not accessible for blind / visually impaired players and screen reader users.
– Combat is turn-based and goes at your own pace.